Helmut Marko says F1 champion didn’t take Red Bull seriously during contract talks

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Red Bull Racing have gone from a midfield team taking over from a struggling Jaguar outfit to the pinnacle of Formula 1 during their 20 years on the grid.

Under the guidance of Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, Red Bull have achieved six Constructors’ Championships, seven Drivers’ Championships, 120 Grand Prix victories and 278 podiums.

Marko has shared who the most important signing in Red Bull’s history is and they’re responsible for much of that success.

Talking on the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Marko has also been speaking about the drivers Red Bull have had and those he’s tried to hire in the past.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Lando Norris could have signed for Red Bull but a clause in another contract he had blocked the move.

He’s now Max Verstappen’s closest rival in the Drivers’ Championship and Red Bull’s current struggles are going to make the final eight races of the season extremely interesting.

However, Norris isn’t the only championship contender Red Bull have attempted to sign in the past.

Fernando Alonso is a legend of Formula 1 and the fact he only has two world championships to his name is a sign of how he’s made some poor choices throughout his career when deciding which team to drive for.

Marko has shared that he tried to sign Alonso much earlier in Red Bull’s history but the Spaniard didn’t seem interested in the move.

If he had committed to the project for just a few years he would have been in a championship-winning car alongside Red Bull’s first protégé Sebastian Vettel.

Helmut Marko says Fernando Alonso didn’t take Red Bull’s interest seriously

Asked if Red Bull had ever missed out on signing a driver, Marko said: “Before we started winning, I don’t know exactly which year, I think it might have [been] 2008, we had been talking to Alonso.

“But he didn’t take us seriously I guess, and so yeah, it didn’t happen.”

At the end of the 2007 season, Alonso was very much looking for a new seat on the grid after a fiery campaign alongside Lewis Hamilton at McLaren.

READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso’s life outside F1 from net worth to Cars 2

Alonso and Hamilton scuppered each other’s campaigns that year and allowed Kimi Raikkonen to sneak in and win the championship.

Hamilton stayed at McLaren in 2008 – and won his first title – while the two-time champion decided to return to Renault, denying Adrian Newey the chance to work with Alonso as he has been denied in his career.

Red Bull stuck with David Coulthard and Mark Webber although the Scot retired at the end of that campaign, opening up a seat for future world champion Vettel.

Fernando Alonso still chasing a race-winning car more than 10 years since his last victory

Alonso’s Formula 1 career has taken him to six different teams across two separate spells.

His time at McLaren never went to plan and Alonso drove the wheels off his Ferrari but was never in the quickest car on the grid.

Aston Martin is an intriguing project and looked to be on the right trajectory last year when Alonso was regularly finishing on the podium.

However, they’ve gone backwards and Alonso is said to be worried about Aston Martin’s 2025 prospects.

Aston Martin are hoping to sign Adrian Newey to add to their growing list of high-profile backroom staff.

All eyes will be on Alonso finally has a car capable of ending his wait to win a race when the regulations change in 2026.